LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant scored 34 points
as the Los Angeles Lakers moved back into top spot in the
Western Conference with a 117-108 home victory over the
Toronto Raptors Tuesday in the NBA.
The Lakers have a half-game lead over the
idle San Antonio Spurs.
Bryant scored 10 points in the final eight
and a half minutes as the Lakers improved to 45-19.
Lamar Odom came up with 20 points and nine
rebounds to help the Lakers score their 18th win in 22 games.
The Lakers go on a four-game road trip starting Friday night
in New Orleans.
"We did an OK job defensively," said
Bryant, who also had seven rebounds and seven assists.
"The first half is always an adjustment to
get used to these type of teams the way they play. I think in
the second half we did a much better job."
TJ Ford led the Raptors (34-29) with 28
points. Anthony Parker finished with 21 points, Rasho
Nesterovic chipped in with 18 points and eight rebounds and
Andrea Bargnani had 15 for Toronto.
Big man Chris Bosh missed his sixth
straight game with a sore right knee. The Raptors have lost
five of their last seven games.
In Chicago, the Bulls scored a 108-96
victory over the visiting Utah Jazz on Tuesday to maintain
their push for an unlikely Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Despite a 26-38 record, the inconsistent
Bulls have pulled to just one-half game behind Atlanta for the
eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
"As bad as it’s been, we’re lucky to be in
the position that we’re in," Chicago’s Luol Deng said.
"We just have to try to make a run, even
though our longest (winning) streak has been two games. We
just got to get going from here and put a streak of wins
together."
The Northwest Division-leading Jazz saw a
five-game winning streak come to an end. Their record on the
road dropped to 14-20.
The Bulls’ Drew Gooden, who was picked up
in a major trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, tied his season
high with 24 points. He also had 10 rebounds and three blocked
shots.
Mehmet Okur scored 22 points and had 18
rebounds for the Jazz while Deron Williams added 20 points and
10 assists.
"They pretty much just manhandled us from
the beginning of this game," said Utah coach Jerry Sloan.
"Give them the credit."
The Indiana Pacers snapped a three-game
losing streak with a 114-107 home win over the Seattle
SuperSonics.
The Washington Wizards beat the visiting
Milwaukee Bucks 105-97.
The Portland Trail Blazers scored a 103-96 road victory
over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
